The docking access cycles open. The parts supplier enters carrying a sealed authorization slate and a narrow receipt case, a lean middle-aged man in a patched charcoal pressure coat, with a copper prosthetic hand and a shaved scalp.
The Parts Supplier
Tavik Sen. Remember the name attached to your second transaction. The flight package was released under the original bargain, but the acknowledgment now requires crew-level acceptance of your defensive boundaries.
The authorization slate remains sealed in his prosthetic hand. Nahuli stays at command, while Lahani, Ranuko, Nikayo, Liyanu, and Kiryati remain linked through the consultation buffer, with no ship-control handshake.
Nahuli
You are asking us to acknowledge a boundary you refuse to explain. That is not a technical receipt. It is an authority claim.
The Parts Supplier
It is a condition for continuing useful trade. I will not disclose the reason, and I will not release the second authorization until your crew accepts the boundary together.
Ranuko
Then the unresolved question is measurable: does acknowledgment restrict our command, or only define what your network will not tolerate?
The slate gives one quiet confirmation tone, waiting for a crew-level decision. The flight package is already theirs, but the relationship, the next transaction, and Amber Wing’s defensive independence now occupy the same narrow threshold.
✓ Quest Accepted
Establish a mutually accepted defensive boundary with Tavik
Kiryati's turn“I will ask Tavik to record what his network will not tolerate.”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled -1)
Nahuli
Tavik, record exactly what your network will not tolerate. We need the boundaries stated plainly, without accepting authority over Amber Wing.
Kiryati studies Tavik's posture, slate, and careful wording through the buffer. Threat Assessment separates a stated network limit from an attempted command, while the pressure of the request briefly tightens Kiryati's composure.
The Parts Supplier
Accepted. I will record limits, not permissions. My network will not tolerate unauthorized access to its relays, falsified credentials, interference with contracted transfers, or hostile action against its registered personnel.
Tavik opens the slate and enters each boundary as a separate condition. No command route appears, and the wording leaves Amber Wing's local authority untouched.
Ranuko
That is specific enough to review. None of those limits requires us to surrender control, disclose protected records, or accept an unverified instruction.
The Parts Supplier
Correct. The record defines conduct my network rejects. It does not authorize my network to command your ship, crew, route, or defensive systems.
The slate seals the boundary record and attaches it to the transaction. Kiryati's request succeeds, though the visible hesitation costs him a moment of steadiness before the crew's review continues.
Quest Complete
KiryatiEstablish a mutually accepted defensive boundary with Tavik